Florida students create dream wheelchair for wounded veteran

A shout out is due to a group of students of the University of Central Florida who were allowed to waive their standard final year exams in favour of developing a project of their own – designing a wheelchair that is moved using the power of the human mind…

This is a continuation of a theme that we’ve seen trending in the last few years since research exploring brain waves to control technology has become hugely popular (see prosthetics, eye-tracking mouse, and intention decoding)

It works with sensors attached to muscles which send electrical ‘commands’ to directly wheelchair.

The test subject for this project was former U.S. Marine Charlie Merritt who suffered a broken neck following a diving accident in 2014.

One of the students who worked on the project, Christian Rodriguez, explains that the wheelchair is incredibly easy to learn to use for such a piece of advanced technology.

“For people to just put it on and within five minutes it’s barely a learning curve for most, and just control it like they’re using a joy stick with their hands.”

At a Senior Design Showcase, the “Muscle Sensor-Controlled Wheelchair (Electro-Mechanical Interface System)” was described as being;

“Ideal for wheelchair users who have limited hand mobility, this system employs the user's remaining functioning muscles (face, neck, shoulders) to control their wheelchair. A 3D-printed electro-mechanical interface system moves the wheelchair control joystick based on signals transmitted from muscle sensors worn on the user's head or face. There is nothing like this on the market. […] This product is open-sourced, lowcost (under $250) and all parts are found in the marketplace […]”

This claim of uniqueness has not prevent media channels drawing comparisons to the Ogo, another recently developed hands-free wheelchair in New Zealand.

Which of the two would you choose? Share your view in the comments section.

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